Written Answers Wednesday 12 December 2007

Scottish Executive

Care of Elderly People

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, what "allowance for subsequent years" means in relation to the provision of free personal care.

Shona Robison: We will bring forward regulations to increase the payments for personal and nursing care in care homes in line with inflation from April 2008. We have agreed with COSLA that this uplift and any further inflationary increase to the standard payment levels over the subsequent two years will be funded from within the overall local government finance settlement.

  Lord Sutherland’s recommendations on the wider review of funding for free personal care will be considered when he reports to ministers in March 2008.

Child Welfare

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Sure Start programme can help to raise children out of poverty.

Adam Ingram: Sure Start Scotland was intended to deliver four high-level objectives around support for vulnerable families with very young children rather than an anti-poverty measure. Under the terms of the concordat between the Scottish Government and local government, resources allocated under the Sure Start formula through the unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant remain to fund work around improving children’s social and emotional development, health and ability to learn as well as strengthening families and communities. The role of Sure Start Scotland will be examined within the Scottish Government’s Early Years Strategy, due to publish in summer/autumn 2008, which will review the full range of early years services.

Child Welfare

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Sure Start programme can be used to reach children and families identified as the most difficult to reach.

Adam Ingram: Under the terms of the concordat between the Scottish Government and local government, resources allocated under the Sure Start formula through the unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant, remain to fund work around improving children’s social and emotional development, health and ability to learn as well as strengthening families and communities. Consideration of the best ways of supporting families who are hardest to reach, including the role of Sure Start Scotland, will be examined within the Scottish Government’s Early Years Strategy, due to publish in summer/autumn 2008, which will review the full range of early years services.

Child Welfare

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to raise the educational attainment of children identified as living in poverty.

Maureen Watt: The concordat that we have signed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is founded on improving educational outcomes and providing more choices and more chances for all children and young people, including those identified as living in poverty.

  We will focus on improving the learning experience for children and young people by improving the fabric of schools and nurseries; developing and delivering the curriculum for excellence, and, as quickly as possible, reducing class sizes to a maximum of 18 in primary 1 to primary 3 and improving early years provision with access to a teacher for every pre-school child. In addition, our skills strategy describes our ambitions for developing skills in a lifelong learning context, from cradle to grave.

  We are committed to working with local government and other partners in the education community to build on the new relationship. Our aim is to develop young people who are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens, and so raise educational attainment in Scotland.

Companies Act 2006

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to the UK Government to regulate claims companies under the Companies Act 2006.

Kenny MacAskill: Claims companies in England and Wales are regulated by the Secretary of State under the Compensation Act 2006, pending the establishment of the Legal Services Board under the Legal Services Act 2007. There is no equivalent regulatory structure in Scotland, but there is currently an active debate underway about the regulation and business structures of the Scottish legal profession in Scotland, prompted by a report of the Office of Fair Trading. Ministers await the outcome of a consultation by the Law Society of Scotland, which concludes in January, and will thereafter work with the legal profession to agree a way forward. This will provide an opportunity to consider what measures might be necessary in Scotland to regulate claims companies.

Domestic Abuse

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that those guilty of committing acts of domestic violence are properly punished.

Kenny MacAskill: As part of a wide-ranging strategy to combat domestic abuse, the Scottish Government is promoting effective handling of criminal cases, through the development of options for a Domestic Abuse Court in Glasgow and the production of a toolkit to encourage innovation across courts in Scotland. This is underpinned by a protocol on the handling of domestic criminal incidents, agreed between the police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

  However, sentencing of those found guilty is solely a matter for judges.

Domestic Abuse

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas have perpetrator programmes for people convicted of crimes relating to domestic abuse.

Kenny MacAskill: Six local authority areas are specifically funded by the Scottish Government under section 27(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to provide groupwork perpetrator programmes for people convicted of domestic abuse crimes:

  Angus Council

  City of Glasgow Council

  City of Edinburgh Council

  Midlothian Council

  North Lanarkshire Council

  South Lanarkshire Council.

  Other local authorities undertake work with those convicted of domestic abuse related crimes as part of their overall section 27 grant settlement.

Domestic Abuse

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will allocate in the budget for the development of additional perpetrator programmes for people convicted of crimes relating to domestic abuse.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has supported the development of an accredited domestic abuse programme for men convicted of crimes relating to domestic abuse, (the Caledonian programme). The Caledonian Advisory Group has been invited to submit a proposal for the further development and testing of the Caledonian domestic abuse programme. This testing will inform its re-submission to the Scottish Accreditation Panel for Offender programmes in September 2008. Decisions about roll out will be taken in the light of the panel’s decision on accreditation.

  Other than the Caledonian programme, there are no current plans to support the development of further perpetrator programmes.

Dyslexia

Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to children in Angus and Dundee suffering from dyslexia.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally.

  However, support and assistance for children with dyslexia is primarily provided through the school education system. The provision of education in Scotland is the responsibility of the appropriate local authority and Angus Council and Dundee City Council, like all local authorities, are under a statutory duty to ensure that there is adequate and efficient provision of school education made for their area. It is therefore a matter for Angus and Dundee City to determine how the educational needs for children with dyslexia are met.

Education

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to organisations addressing bullying among school pupils in each of the last three years and what level was projected at the beginning of each year.

Maureen Watt: Organisations addressing bullying among school pupils have been provided with £384,491 in 2005-06, £451,164 in 2006-07 and £502,420 in 2007-08 against budgets of £445,197 in 2005-06, £433,000 in 2006-07 and £510,000 in 2007-08.

Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on school education in each year since 1990, broken down into (a) local authority spending and (b) central government grants.

Fiona Hyslop: The question raises two different concepts: spend on school education and how this spend is funded. The following table outlines (a) gross revenue expenditure on school education by local authorities and (b) central government grants for school education (which excludes Revenue Support Grant, the main route education is funded by the Scottish Government).

  Central government grants for school education represents funding for both local authorities and other organisations which support the school education system (for example Scottish Qualifications Authority and HM Inspectorate of Education). Therefore, elements of central government grants will have funded local authority gross revenue expenditure on school education. Consequently, the two sets of figures should not be aggregated as there is an element of overlap. It is not possible to identify the exact overlap as some central government grants are not ring-fenced for school education.

  

Year
Gross Revenue Expenditure by Local Authorities on School Education
Total Central Government Grants for School Education


1990-91
£1,645 million
£32 million


1991-92
£1,770 million
£42 million


1992-93
£1,893 million
£46 million


1993-94
£1,929 million
£48 million


1994-95
£1,965 million
£51 million


1995-96
£1,967 million
£52 million


1996-97
£1,981 million
£57 million


1997-98
£2,003 million
£56 million


1998-99
£2,107 million
£75 million


1999-2000
£2,268 million
£175 million


2000-01
£2,424 million
£252 million


2001-02
£2,636 million
£360 million


2002-03
£3,128 million
£329 million


2003-04
£3,437 million
£315 million


2004-05
£3,691 million
£387 million


2005-06
£3,887 million
£441 million


2006-07
*
£590 million



  Notes:

  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £ million.

  2. Gross Revenue Expenditure for 1990-91 to 1994-95 includes pre-school education.

  3. Due to changes in the way the data is recorded, Gross Revenue Expenditure figures prior to 2002-03 are not directly comparable.

  * Figures not published yet.

Education

Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many educational psychologists are employed in Dundee and Angus.

Adam Ingram: This information for 2006 is published on the Scottish Government website at the following address: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/27085753/98 .

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what target it will set for its buildings or those of its agencies to reduce their carbon footprint by 2011, expressed as a reduction in (a) percentage and (b) tonnage of carbon terms.

John Swinney: The information requested in respect of the buildings on the core estate of the Scottish Government is provided in the Scottish Government Environmental Performance Annual Report for 2006-07 which was published in December 2007, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44178).

  The information requested regarding agencies is not held centrally. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-6943 on 6 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Families

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on giving equal access to legal aid to fathers in cases of family breakdown following the parliamentary Family Law (Scotland) Bill debate on 15 December 2005.

Kenny MacAskill: The eligibility tests for legal aid in cases of family breakdown apply equally to both parties.

Families

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to create, or has considered creating, incentives to both parents to participate in non-judicial mediation procedures in cases of family breakdown.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering effective support for families experiencing breakdown and has invested considerably in the family support sector. The incentive for parents to participate in mediation is that it yields consensual outcomes on issues to be resolved on family breakdown. This is beneficial for the parents and children involved and further incentives are not considered necessary.

Families

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make, or has considered making, non-judicial mediation procedures compulsory in cases of family breakdown.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering effective support for families experiencing breakdown. Mediation is a key part of the family support sector and is appropriate where both parties are willing to participate. We do not believe that compulsion for families already under pressure arising from the family breakdown would yield successful outcomes.

Fireworks

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to hospital in the NHS Lothian area with firework-related injuries in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: The annual fireworks injuries survey for Scotland is part of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Fireworks Injuries Enquiry for Great Britain.

  The DTI did not commission a survey in 2006 or 2007 therefore information is only held centrally up to 2005.

  Centrally held information on fireworks injuries is based on attendances requiring treatment at accident and emergency departments and burns/plastic surgery units during a four week survey period running from mid-October to mid-November each year. The following table shows the total number of patients treated and the number of patients who were admitted to hospital for one night or more in NHS Lothian during 2001-05 survey periods.

  Firework Related Injuries Treated in NHS Lothian

  Fireworks Injuries Survey: 2001-05

  

Year
Total Number of Patients Treated
Patients Admitted to Hospital for One Night or More


2001
6
1


2002
6
-


2003
10
1


2004
6
3


2005
9
2



  Source: DTI Fireworks Injuries Survey 2001 to 2005, ISD Scotland.

Health

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to review the present arrangements made by NHS boards covering rural areas for patient transport to specialist appointments in locations far from the patients’ homes, with a view to ascertaining whether there are significant variations in practice between boards.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Action Plan published on 12 December 2007 in relation to  Better Health, Better Care sets out how we intend to develop greater national oversight of travel management.

Health

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all managed clinical networks, showing the disease groups covered by each.

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide contact details for all managed clinical networks.

Shona Robison: The information available centrally is given in table Managed Clinical Networks , a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44254).

Health

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what responses it is making to Inquiry into the status of CFS/ME and research into causes and treatment , the Gibson Report, published in November 2006.

Shona Robison: The Gibson Report was produced by the Group on Scientific Research into ME, which consists of a number of members of the UK Parliament at Westminster. It deals with an issue which is devolved to the Scottish Parliament, but has not, so far as I am aware, been presented formally to the Parliament. There has therefore been no formal response from the Scottish Government.

  We asked Action for ME, however, to take account of the contents of the Gibson Report in undertaking the preliminary scoping exercise for which we provided them with funding.

Health

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what health-related centres of excellence it supports or has supported since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: The term "centre of excellence" could be applied to many types of organisation and facility in health related areas.

  In terms of the research, the following centres are currently supported through the Chief Scientist’s Office:

  The Health Services Research Unit, Aberdeen

  The Health Economics Research Unit, Aberdeen

  The Dental Health Services Research unit, Dundee

  The Institute for Hearing Research, Glasgow

  The Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, Edinburgh

  Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow

  Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professions Research Unit, Stirling and Glasgow

  Scottish Institute for Life Sciences, Dundee.

Health

Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what educational assistance is available in Angus and Dundee for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally.

  The provision of education in Scotland is the responsibility of the appropriate local authority and Angus Council and Dundee City Council, like all local authorities, are under a statutory duty to ensure that there is adequate and efficient provision of school education made for their area. It is therefore a matter for Angus and Dundee City to determine how certain needs such as the provision of education for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are met.

Historic Scotland

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the current reviews of quangos, it has any plans to work with Historic Scotland to take further active steps to reinforce its role to safeguard the nation’s historic environment.

John Swinney: We want to achieve a simpler, more effective public sector for Scotland by removing duplication, simplifying structures and stopping activities that do not contribute to the government’s objectives. Work is underway to consider specific proposals to simplify and streamline the existing public service landscape, including the organisations which have a role in safeguarding Scotland’s historic environment. We will announce further details to Parliament shortly.

Justice

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether being drunk is considered to be a mitigating factor in determining sentences.

Kenny MacAskill: High Court Judgments since the 1980s have made clear in common law that alcohol should not be regarded as a mitigating factor in crimes.

  The time is now right to review whether that message from the High Court is being heard clearly and consistently enough by those who have contact with or are involved in the criminal justice system. We are considering what measures may be necessary to make it explicit that being intoxicated at the time of the commission of an offence should not be submitted as a mitigating factor at the point of sentence.

Justice

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to make money recovered in seized assets available to local communities to provide diversionary activities for young people.

Kenny MacAskill: I announced in Parliament on 6 June 2007 that thanks to increasing amounts of money being confiscated from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act, the Scottish Government will establish a new approach to reinvesting that money to benefit Scotland’s communities and especially those hardest hit by crime. We are working with several organisations throughout Scotland to draw up specific proposals on how to reinvest the proceeds of crime in ways that will most benefit young people. Once this process is complete and the new arrangements are finalised, a further announcement will be made.

Justice

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is lawful for interdicts to be in place without limit of time and, if so, whether it has any plans to change this position.

Kenny MacAskill: Yes it is lawful for interdicts to be made without limit of time. Interdicts may be permanent (without limit of time) or interim. An interim interdict is awarded at the court’s discretion and is an immediate remedy which may be applied for during the process of obtaining a permanent interdict. It is valid until recalled by the courts. In general interdict is only awarded where there is a legitimate prospect of future wrongs. It is not competent in respect of an activity which is unlikely to be repeated. The Scottish Government has no plans to change the law in this area.

Justices of the Peace

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to removing or altering the upper age limit for the appointment of JPs.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has no current plans to remove or alter the upper age limit for the appointment of JPs. The current statutory age limit of 70 for retiring is the same as that which applies to high court judges and sheriffs, and the Scottish Government sees no reason at present to make the retirement age of justices of the peace different from that of other members of the Scottish judiciary.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it expects the Parliament to have in the process of arriving at single outcome agreements between the Executive and local authorities.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it expects the Parliament to have in monitoring outcome agreements between the Executive and local authorities.

John Swinney: Single outcome agreements (SOA) will be between the Scottish Government and the local authorities. Parliament will not be involved in the negotiating process but I have indicated to the Local Government and Communities Committee that ministers will report to the committee and to Parliament on progress in relation to SOAs.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the names and positions of the participants in the group charged with overseeing the process of implementation of single outcome agreements.

John Swinney: This group has recently been established and its membership is as follows:

  Rab Fleming, Deputy Director, Public Service Delivery Division, Scottish Government; Caroline Gardner, Deputy Auditor General and Controller of Audit, Audit Scotland; Colin MacLean, Director, Children, Young People and Social Care Directorate, Scottish Government; Colin Mair, Chief Executive, Improvement Service; Rory Mair, Chief Executive, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; Bernadette Malone, Portfolio Holder, Best Value and Performance, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Scotland), and Chief Executive, Perth and Kinross Council; Ruth Parsons, Director, Public Service Reform Directorate, Scottish Government, and Gavin Whitefield, Chair, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Scotland), and Chief Executive, North Lanarkshire Council.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it expects that the Parliament will have to the group charged with overseeing the process of implementation of single outcome agreements.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Parliament will be represented on the group charged with overseeing the process of implementation of single outcome agreements.

John Swinney: I do not envisage any direct input from Parliament into this group. The purpose of the group is to oversee the process towards the implementation of single outcome agreements (SOAs) between the Scottish Government and local authorities, and its membership comprises senior officials from the key stakeholder organisations involved.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the group charged with overseeing the process of implementation of single outcome agreements will meet the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Parliament.

John Swinney: This is a matter for the group. However, I anticipate its members would be happy to consider an invitation to meet the Local Government and Communities Committee.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the names and positions of the participants in the group charged with overseeing the process of managing the single outcome agreements’ arrangements.

John Swinney: We intend to publish the names and positions of the participants once this group has been formally established.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what input it expects that the Parliament will have to the group charged with overseeing the process of managing the single outcome agreements’ arrangements.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Parliament will be represented on the group charged with overseeing the process of managing the single outcome agreements’ arrangements.

John Swinney: I do not envisage any direct input from Parliament into this group. The purpose of the group is to oversee the process of managing the new arrangements between the Scottish Government and local government set out in the concordat. Membership of this group is expected to comprise senior officials from the key stakeholder organisations involved.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been given to bio-medical research into chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) since 1999.

Shona Robison: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), of the Scottish Government’s Health Directorates, which has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland, is collaborating with the Medical Research Council (MRC) on the implementation of its research strategy into chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Since 1999, neither the CSO nor the MRC have funded any bio-medical research into this condition. Both the CSO and MRC would be pleased to consider proposals for such research into CFS/ME which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

  The National Research Register (NRR), a UK-wide research database, records that there are currently 22 projects on-going in the UK on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), of which four are bio-medical research projects. Details of these projects are available from the NRR, which is available at www.nrr.nhs.uk.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff are tasked with assessing and banding colleagues under Agenda for Change, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally.

  The implementation of Agenda for Change locally, including populating job matching and evaluation panels, is a matter for each individual health board in partnership with the NHS trades unions and professional organisations.

  I can also report that health boards are close to concluding the implementation of Agenda for Change pay, with the vast majority of staff now assimilated to the new pay bands and in receipt of arrears of pay. There has been no target set for conclusion, but health boards are aware that it needs to be done as quickly and effectively as possible. Progress continues to be closely monitored and supported where possible by the Scottish Government.

NHS Staff

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of NHS staff are still waiting for a salary banding under Agenda for Change, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) profession.

Nicola Sturgeon: At the end of November there were around 18,000 substantive staff still to be assimilated to the new Agenda for Change pay bands across NHSScotland. However, the substantial majority of those have been through the job evaluation process, and therefore know which pay band they are to be assigned to.

  A table outlining the position with substantive staff by health board and profession at the end of October has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44256). This is the latest date that data at that level of detail is available.

Non-Domestic Rates

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Clackmannanshire local authority area will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

John Swinney: Information on small businesses in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available for the local authority area concerned on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ). This information is shown as follows:

  

Number of Properties
Rateable Value of Property


Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
Total up to £15,000


Clackmannanshire
977
77
125
1,179



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties, excluding zero rated properties, with rateable values of up to £15,000 in the Clackmannanshire local authority area.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland which a business owns, leases or is otherwise entitled to occupy;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Glasgow Maryhill parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses in the Glasgow Springburn parliamentary constituency will benefit from the proposed cut in business rates.

John Swinney: Information on small businesses in the form requested is not held centrally. However, information on the number and rateable value of non-domestic properties which may be eligible for relief under the Small Business Bonus scheme is available on the Scottish Assessors Portal ( www.saa.gov.uk ) for the local authority area in which the parliamentary constituency is situated. This information is shown as follows:

  

Number of Properties
Rateable Value of Property


Up to £8,000
£8,001-£10,000
£10,001-£15,000
Total up to £15,000


Glasgow City 
11,943
1,628
2,420
15,991



  Notes:

  (i) The rateable value ranges shown in the table correspond to those on page 12 of the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007.

  (ii) The table shows the number of non-domestic properties, except zero-rated properties, with rateable values of up to £15,000 in all of the Glasgow City Council area.

  (iii) The number of eligible businesses will be lower than the number of non-domestic properties in each area, because some businesses have more than one property. This may affect eligibility for relief under the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will depend on:

  the combined rateable value of all properties in Scotland for which the business is liable to pay rates;

  whether the property is eligible for one of the existing rates relief schemes, and

  the level of other public sector assistance received by the business.

Parliamentary Questions

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many parliamentary questions have received a holding answer since May 2007 and, of these, how many have not subsequently received a substantive answer.

Bruce Crawford: The information sought could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Substantive answers are provided whenever the information requested is available. The length of time involved will depend on a number of factors.

Planning

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses in statutory processes whether the hydrology of a blanket bog is affected by wind farm development.

Jim Mather: Scottish Planning Policy 6 says that developers will be expected to provide geotechnical and hydrological information in support of applications. Significant environmental effects on water and soil, including peat, are part of the environmental assessment process.

  As a statutory consultee, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency provides advice to Scottish ministers, including as appropriate, in respect of blanket bog hydrology being affected by wind farm proposals. In addition, hydrology issues are also considered as part of an independent peat landslide risk assessment of all section 36 consent applications.

  SPP6 refers to the guidance on peat landslide risk assessment which was published by the Scottish Government in Jan 2007 which is available on the Energy Consents website:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents.

Police

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, how much it expects police boards to spend over the next three years to recruit sufficient police officers to replace those due to retire over that period.

Kenny MacAskill: Full details of the three year allocations for all of the specific grant funding streams to local government, including police, were confirmed by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth as part of the local government settlement on 13 December 2007.

Police

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, how much of the £54 million to support recruitment of additional police officers is intended for "building capacity at a national level" and on what it is envisaged that those sums will be spent.

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, how much of the £54 million to support recruitment of additional police officers is intended for retention and redeployment initiatives.

Kenny MacAskill: The £54 million will be directed towards the recruitment of additional new officers, improved retention of skilled and experienced officers, and the reinvestment of efficiency gains to redeploy. This will build capacity across the Scottish police services.

Police

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether the £54 million to support recruitment of additional police officers will be taken from the local government settlement and held centrally; if so, what the rationale is for such funding to be held centrally and how much of the £54 million will be reallocated to local authorities as police specific grant.

Kenny MacAskill: The rationale for centrally managing the £54 million is to ensure that the 500 additional officers (i.e. recruits over and above existing recruitment plans) are recruited timeously, with minimal administrative cost to forces.

Police

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether there will be a process of prioritisation and bidding for police.

Kenny MacAskill: It is for police boards to set the budgets for their respective forces. The Scottish Government will continue to pay police grant to police boards in accordance with a formula based on their relative need. It will be the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the balance of funding required over and above the amount of police grant from the remainder of the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities taking account of their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. Further details of these new arrangements can be found in the Scottish Budget Report and related concordat with local government. Copies of both documents are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 44076 and 44077 respectively).

Police

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, under the terms of its concordat with COSLA, whether the capital fund to be created will need to accommodate any new expenditure on police or fire service communications systems in the three-year period or thereafter.

Kenny MacAskill: Under the concordat agreed between Scottish ministers and COSLA, the ring-fence around the Police Capital Grant will be removed from 1 April 2008, with the funding being absorbed into the main local government settlement.

  The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the spending review 2008-11. The vast majority of the funding, including the funding for Police Capital Grant will be provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

  The funding for Fire Capital Grant, although now included within the overall local government finance settlement will continue to be provided by means of a specific ring-fenced grant. It will be the responsibility of each local authority, in conjunction with their Community Planning Partners, to allocate any additional funding over and above the amount of the ring-fenced funding from the remainder of the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities taking into account their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. Further details on these new arrangements can be found in the Scottish Budget Report and related concordat with local government. Copies of both documents are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 44076 and 44077 respectively)

  As announced in the Spending Review, the Justice portfolio will separately fund the full cost of Firelink, a nationwide enhanced resilience and communications system for the fire and rescue services.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are currently on suspension, also expressed as a percentage of the workforce, broken down by police authority.

Kenny MacAskill: The suspension of police officers is an operational policing matter for Chief Constables, and this information is not collected centrally. However, Association of Chief Police Officers have informed us that as of 10 December 2007 approximately 40 officers are currently suspended, which equates to 0.25 percent of the workforce. This figure will vary on a week by week basis as proceedings continue under the Police (Conduct) (Scotland) Regulations 1996. Information broken down by police authority is not available.

Police

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what method will be used to distribute extra resources between police forces to recruit new and additional officers.

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in determining the distribution of resources to police forces to recruit new and additional officers, any account was taken of the current numbers of police constables per head of population in each area.

Kenny MacAskill: The recruitment of the 500 additional officers announced on 12 November 2007 will be divided amongst forces in accordance with the Police Grant Aided Expenditure allocation methodology.

  The distribution of Police Grant Aided Expenditure between police forces follows an allocation methodology which aims to ensure that the way funding is distributed is linked directly to the cost of policing each force. This methodology was agreed in 2004 following a review comprising the Executive, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and COSLA.

Police

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what account is taken of the effects of sparsity of population and geographic scale in the distribution of resources between police force areas.

Kenny MacAskill: The methodology used to calculate the distribution of funds to Scotland’s police forces takes into account the increased costs of policing areas of lower population density. Northern is one of the forces which benefits from this, in recognition of the increased costs of factors such as transport and providing a physical presence over a wide geographic area.

Police

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers it estimates that Northern Constabulary needs.

Kenny MacAskill: The number of officers in any given force is a matter for the relevant Chief Constable who, working in conjunction with their police board, is responsible for the delivery of an efficient service.

Police

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary should take a view on the adequacy of police officer numbers in each force area.

Kenny MacAskill: The statutory duties of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary are set out in section 33(1) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967 as amended by section 57 of the Police and Magistrates’ Court Act 1994 and schedule 6 of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006.

  In summary these duties are to inquire into the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces. In carrying out this duty HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary may take a view on the deployment of police officers in a police area. However, matters relating to the number of police officers in any given area are for the police board and the relevant chief constable.

Procurator Fiscal Service

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports have been made to procurators fiscal about people from claims companies pretending to be solicitors in each year since 1999.

Right Hon Elish Angiolini QC: Since 2002, procurators fiscal have received four reports in respect of cases involving a charge under section 31(1)(a) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980 (i.e. pretending to be a solicitor when not having the relevant qualification). One case was reported in each of the following financial years: 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08.

Public Sector

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which public bodies will be abolished to achieve the 25% reduction referred to in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 .

John Swinney: We want to achieve a simpler, more effective public sector for Scotland by removing duplication, simplifying structures and stopping activities that do not contribute to the government’s objectives. Work is underway to consider specific proposals to simplify and streamline the existing public service landscape. We will announce further details to Parliament shortly.

School Meals

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will evaluate the success of the Glasgow free school meals pilot and what the timescale for evaluation and report will be.

Adam Ingram: We have appointed IPSOS Mori to conduct an independent evaluation of the free school meal trial for primary 1 to 3 pupils. We will take into account the findings of the evaluation including the change in uptake of free school meals by primary 1 to 3 pupils and any other changes in attitudes and behaviours in relation to free school meals and healthy eating that are evident within the trial period. We expect to receive the report on the evaluation next summer. These findings will be set within the context of the wider research literature and evidence base on school meals and healthy eating by children and families.

Scottish Government

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many different computer systems it operates and what the purpose and function is of each system.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government operates a large number of different computer systems to support the delivery of its business. There are corporate systems which are used and shared by all directorates and other business specific application systems which are only used within specific directorates.

  The large corporate systems (with their name in brackets) are the accounting system (SEAS), the human resources system (e HR), the records systems (ERDM) and office automation (SCOTS). The purpose and function of these systems is shown in the table below.

  

System
Purpose
Function


SEAS
To manage the allocation and use of financial resources
To maintain accounting records for the Scottish Government.


e HR
To support the management of staff employed by the Scottish Government.
To provide and maintain electronic records related to the employment of staff 


ERDM
To manage the information resources of the Scottish Government
To provide an electronic records and document management system


SCOTS
To facilitate communications for systems and people across the Scottish Government
To provide electronic email and office automation services (word processing, spreadsheets, databases etc)



  There are a large number of business specific applications operated both internally and externally. Examples of these systems are the SIACS suite operated by Rural Payments and Inspections within the Environment and Rural Affairs Directorate and the SCOTXED system operated by Lifelong Learning Directorate. SIACS is used to manage the payment of grants to the farming community and SCOTXED is used to facilitate the exchange of data relating to education between local authorities and the Scottish Government.

Sure Start

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be spent on the Sure Start programme in each year of the 2008-11 spending review.

Adam Ingram: Resources allocated to local authorities under the Sure Start Scotland formula through the unhypothecated Revenue Support Grant remain available for local authorities to meet the needs of vulnerable families with very young children.

Victim Support

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects that the real-terms funding reduction for victim/witness support in the draft budget will result in service cuts.

Kenny MacAskill: Provision in the Detailed Spending Plans of the Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007 for victim and witness support is one element of spending proposals for victims and witnesses. There are proposed increases for Promoting Equality aimed at enhancing services for victims of domestic abuse and serious sexual assaults, for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to better assist victims of serious offences and vulnerable witnesses, and for the Scottish Court Service to improve the service for all court users, including victims, witnesses and their families. Together these proposed increases are expected to lead to an increase in services to victims and witnesses.

Victim Support

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consulted Victim Support Scotland or other relevant stakeholder groups before announcing the funding for victim/witness support in the draft budget.

Kenny MacAskill: The Chairman and the Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland were kept informed about the process for preparing the Spending Review.

Wildlife

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its position in respect of a ban on snaring.

Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5475 on 1 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .